Piston Steam Box pre-orders open at $1,000

Living-room centric gaming PC to ship by holiday 2013

Prices for Piston--the first "Steam Box"--begin at $1,000, manufacturer Xi3 revealed today. The new device, which is intended to unite the comfort and ease of use of a console with the scope and upgradeability of a desktop computer, will ship in time for this year's holiday season.

Xi3 is extending a $100 discount to those who pre-order by the end of the SXSW convention (March 17), with a choice of integrated SSDs on its store page.

One thousand dollars could buy a superior desktop computer, but with its own host of hassles and entertainment-center-unfriendly form factor. Now that we know the pricing for the first wave of Steam Boxes, what do you think?